Clearwood ®
Synthetic Ingredient for Perfumery
Clearwood® by Firmenich is a biotech-derived synthetic ingredient with a soft, woody-amber profile and clean patchouli-like undertone. Unlike traditional patchouli oil, it is fermented from sugar using white biotechnology, offering greater consistency, transparency, and sustainability. While rich in patchoulol, it is not a direct substitute for patchouli essential oil, but rather a modern building block for woody, musky, and amber accords.
Its lightness and excellent blending behavior make Clearwood® ideal for fragrance compositions requiring volume without heaviness — offering naturality and performance with a clean, renewable signature.
Synthetic Ingredient for Perfumery
Clearwood® by Firmenich is a biotech-derived synthetic ingredient with a soft, woody-amber profile and clean patchouli-like undertone. Unlike traditional patchouli oil, it is fermented from sugar using white biotechnology, offering greater consistency, transparency, and sustainability. While rich in patchoulol, it is not a direct substitute for patchouli essential oil, but rather a modern building block for woody, musky, and amber accords.
Its lightness and excellent blending behavior make Clearwood® ideal for fragrance compositions requiring volume without heaviness — offering naturality and performance with a clean, renewable signature.
Synthetic Ingredient for Perfumery
Clearwood® by Firmenich is a biotech-derived synthetic ingredient with a soft, woody-amber profile and clean patchouli-like undertone. Unlike traditional patchouli oil, it is fermented from sugar using white biotechnology, offering greater consistency, transparency, and sustainability. While rich in patchoulol, it is not a direct substitute for patchouli essential oil, but rather a modern building block for woody, musky, and amber accords.
Its lightness and excellent blending behavior make Clearwood® ideal for fragrance compositions requiring volume without heaviness — offering naturality and performance with a clean, renewable signature.
Synthetic Ingredient Overview
🏭 Manufacturer — Firmenich
🔎 Chemical Name — Clearwood® (no IUPAC; proprietary mixture)
📂 CAS N° — 84238-39-1 (EU/China/Taiwan), 1450625-49-6 (US/CA/KR/AU/PH)
📝 Odor Type — Woody
📈 Odor Strength — Medium to high (up to 7 days on strip)
👃🏼 Odor Profile — Woody, amber, musky; soft patchouli nuance; clean, transparent, long-lasting
⚗️ Uses — Used as a new woody base material; complements natural patchouli; for florals, ambers, musks
🧴 Appearance — Pale yellow to yellow liquid; flashpoint >100°C
What is Clearwood®?
Clearwood® is a biotechnologically derived fragrance ingredient created by Firmenich and introduced in 2014. Unlike essential oils extracted from biomass, Clearwood® is produced via fermentation of sugar feedstocks, yielding a sustainable alternative to natural patchouli. It contains high levels of patchoulol, but without the dark, earthy heaviness typical of patchouli extracts. The result is a light, transparent woody-amber material with soft musky nuances and impressive tenacity.
As a non-single compound, Clearwood® does not have a defined IUPAC name or molecular weight. It is instead regulated and sold under proprietary registration and trade compliance protocols, using dual CAS numbers based on geographic legislation.
Olfactory Behavior and Perfumery Applications
Clearwood® delivers:
A smooth woody profile without the typical rough edges of natural patchouli
A clean amber-musky backdrop, enhancing base notes and diffusion
Compatibility across fragrance families, from florals to orientals and fougères
Enhanced sustainability and batch-to-batch stability compared to essential oils
It is especially useful in:
Floral woody musks (as a naturalizing base)
Clean patchouli effects in modern chypres
Transparent woody ambers
Functional fragrances and personal care (thanks to its low coloration and good solubility)
Typical usage levels:
Fine fragrance: 1–5%
Haircare / bodycare: 0.3–1%
Functional: 0.5–3%
Sustainability and Market Recognition
Clearwood® is a benchmark of sustainable ingredient design:
White biotechnology process — fermentation from renewable sugar
Non-GMO and derived from non-petrochemical sources
Low environmental impact — no reliance on patchouli farming
Award-winning — Best Sustainable Ingredient, Barcelona Perfumery Congress 2023
Its eco-profile aligns with green chemistry principles, minimizing ecological strain and offering traceability across supply chains.
Regulatory and Safety Overview
REACH — Registered (substance-level disclosure under Firmenich protocol)
IFRA — No specific restriction; safe under normal usage levels
Toxicology — Not classified as sensitizer or irritant at typical perfumery dosages
Flashpoint — >100°C; not classified as flammable
Color Stability — High (unlike patchouli oil)
Biodegradability — Supported by white biotech origin and sugar fermentation pathway
✅ Ideal for brands focused on sustainable, ethical perfumery.
Sources
Firmenich. (2014). Clearwood – The First Bio-Based and Sustainable Fragrance Ingredient
Explore Azelis (2023). Clearwood® by Scentmate awarded Best Sustainable Ingredient
Perfumer & Flavorist (2023). Recognition of Firmenich Clearwood at Barcelona Perfumery Congress
Fulvio Ciccolo, Creative Base Design Notes
Formulation Stability Testing Notes – Scentspiracy Studio (2024)
IFRA Standards Documentation
